Apple Names Top Apps For 2014

It’s a good day for Elevate, which was just named Apple’s favorite app of 2014. The app, which helps you improve memory and focus, was Apple’s top pick of the year. The runner-up was Instagram’s Hyperlapse, which speeds up shaky videos and turns them into time lapses in just two taps.

Apple compiled its annual list of what it considers to be the year’s most standout apps, with categories ranging from “best apps” to “best games.”

Some notable inclusions are Yahoo News Digest, Facebook’s Paper and the SwiftKey Keyboard app. With iOS 8, which debuted in September, Apple allowed iPhone users to pick alternative keyboard options from third-party developers; SwiftKey was quickly heralded as one of the best.

Uber, which has come under a great deal of scrutiny over the past month for such things as “God view” and floating the notion of spending $1 million on digging up dirt on journalists, also appears on the list.

Apple has also given its end of the year charts for the most downloaded and top grossing iPhone and iPad apps. For the iPhone, Heads Up!, Facebook Messenger, and Clash of Clans finished as the top paid, top free, and top grossing app, respectively. For the iPad,Minecraft – Pocket Edition, YouTube, and Clash of Clans finished as the top paid, top free, and top grossing app, respectively.

As customary for its end of the year listings, Apple has also highlighted various games and apps from a wide variety of categories. The company is also featuring content across the various genres and categories for each content type.